The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi: End
by 7-17
Summary: Dedicated to the the wonderful manga that has ended. A chapter closed on the story of the boy whose life has changed ours, in some way, big or small. Thank you, Kishimato, for bringing Sasuke home and returning a best friend to Naruto.


**This is a oneshot tribute to the ending of our favourite manga, Naruto. **

**15 years ago, it began, the story of a lonely orphan kid with a fiery will. 10 years ago, my cousin introduced me to the manga and I fell in love with it. 5 years ago, I wondered when it'll end. Now, I wish it never ended. **

**Time flies. Before we know it, we've grown up. I'm 18 now, and taking my A-Level exams. I still felt like a kid last week. And somehow, with the last chapter of a beloved manga that have gained a place in the hearts of so many people over the years, I feel like a part of my childhood has permanently ended. Does anyone feel the same as me? Because I know that there won't be another manga that can ever replace Naruto.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and never will. All hail Kishimato!**

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><p>The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi: End<p>

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><p><em><strong>"While I was looking the other way your fire went out<strong>_

_**Left me with cinders to kick into dust**_

_**What a waste of the wonder you were**_

_**In my living fire I will keep your scorn and mine**_

_**In my living fire I will keep your heartache and mine**_

_**At the disgrace of a waste of a life." **-Kristin Cashore, Fire_

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><p><em>Thunder rolled overhead, lightning flashed. The remnants of the storm that passed. <em>

_His face was wet. But there was no rain. He had hoped for rain, to wash away the heaviness, the ache, the pain. _

_The sky was dark. He could barely see a thing._

_But he could hear his heartbeat, a faltering rhythm. His breath, shallow and rattling._

_**Sasuke**__. Where was he? Has he gone? Left? He promised. He promised Sakura he'd bring the teme back. He failed._

_And his best friend was going to be left in the darkness, alone, shouldering all the hate of the world by himself._

_But what could he do? For all the Will he had, his body refused to move. His muscles no longer listened to him. _

_He was dying. And he knew, with his death, Sasuke would have succeeded in cutting his strongest tie to his path._

_What was the pain, in losing your best friend? Knowing that your very hands were stained with his blood, having taken his life from him yourself?_

_He could feel it, as always. The pain was shared. In a clash of fists, they had understood each other so well. But now, there would be no more fighting. Their last fight has ended. __**It was over.**_

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><p>"Oi, brat! Naruto!"<p>

He blinked in the strong bright light. The sky was a brilliant summer blue, with lazy clouds drifting in the wind. Where was he? Dead? In the Afterlife?

"Finally. I've been trying to wake you up for some time, kid."

Naruto looked to his side, and saw reddish-orange fur. Then his eyes met a pair of fiery red ones. Kurama?

"He's almost here you know. He's already at the borders."

"Who?" Naruto asked, confused, his mind still clouded by the grief from_—_

"The Uchiha brat of course! Your best friend! I don't know why you'd leave the village to camp here overnight if you're not going to be the first to greet him," the demon fox replied. Naruto looked around him. He was in a clearing in a forest, lying on the side of Kurama. _Oh._

Relief washed through him, and tears ran down his face again, following the tear tracks that were already there.

"I dreamt that I lost," he mumbled more to himself than to anyone else. Kurama heard him anyway, and knew what he was talking about.

"Just a dream, brat. You won in more ways than one," he said, almost fondly, and watched as the blonde shinobi take off like a bullet through the trees, to greet his best friend.

Sasuke stopped. He thought he heard a noise. But there was no one about. Imagining things then. The shinobi world has been peaceful, the most peaceful it has ever been. He met only three rogue ninja during his long trip after all.

"SASUKE!"

Still, that caught him by surprise. The startled shinobi saw a blur of orange before something-or rather, someone-hurtled into him. Blonde hair covered his vision for a while, before a teary face turned to look at him, a wide grin stretching across his whisker-marked cheeks.

"Teme! Welcome back! It's been ages you know. Sakura-chan's worried sick. You'd better hurry up you know. I've been her punching bag the whole of yesterday! And guess what! I'm a jounin!" Naruto crowed, and continued rambling on. "But the jacket's annoying, you know. I can't stand wearing it. And I prefer my orange blazer anyway. Oh and did you know_—_"

"Why are you crying?" Sasuke interrupted with a bemused frown. Naruto looked sheepish.

"You're back. Really back," he said, beaming, his face bright with joy. Sasuke blinked, and understood. He ruffled the blonde's spiky hair and smiled in return.

"Of course, dobe. What did you think? That I had left and eloped with someone else, never to return? Sakura will kill me," he responded, jokingly. "And besides, I promised I would return, didn't I? A certain ninja taught me that, you know. Never to go back on one's word."

Naruto looked almost baffled by the light-heartedness, but he was glad. His best friend has returned. And he was going to share the good news with everyone.

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><p>Sasuke looked at the approaching village gates, wide opened and welcoming. His pink-haired soon-to-be girlfriend stood waiting there with his former sensei who was now the Sixth Hokage. He stood there, soaking in the warmth, absently listening to his best friend demanding to know why they'd stopped and to hurry up.<p>

"Yeah, I'm home."

Naruto froze, catching his soft words, then smiled.

_Home. What a wonderful word._

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><p>The End<p>

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><p><strong>The story of Naruto has ended, but we know we'll always remember the story in our hearts. I've always loved fanfiction, and now, I love it even more. Because it's the proof that stories like this, that we love and have feels over, will still continue beyond its end. Many thanks to Kishimato, for playing a big part in my childhood with his story. <strong>

****Hope you guys enjoyed that.****


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